The One Piece universe is primarily dominated by pirates who sail the treacherous seas to achieve their sky-high dreams. Since the start of the series, nearly every pirate crew we have encountered has followed a traditional format where a future captain gathers their crew by inviting strong new members aboard their ship. Well, the legendary pirate Rocks D. Xebec took an unconventional path to forming his crew, as revealed by creator Eiichiro Oda in One Piece chapter 1155.
Spoilers Warning: This post contains spoilers about the Rocks Pirates and their origins. We suggest you read up to the latest story arc to avoid ruining the intended experience. Proceed with caution.
Origins of the Rocks Pirates in One Piece
Remember the Long Ring Long Island arc? Most people recommended skipping this arc as it didn’t hold any importance to the story at the time. However, it is still a canon arc, and Oda sensei makes a callback to the “Davy Back Fight” tradition shown by Foxy Pirates in the Long Ring Long Island arc.
After Rocks made a name for himself by slaying an admiral in Reverie, looting the Celestial Dragons’ funds, and much more, he decided it was time to put together a crew. And well, he did it in the most true-to-pirate way, utilizing the Davy Back Fight tradition.
As indicated in the multiple panels in the latest One Piece chapter 1155, Rocks competed against various pirate crews around the world in this deadly game and began to win crew members one by one. It is mentioned that Rocks built his entire crew by playing the Davy Back Fight game instead of scouting and inviting each member to join his crew. In this way, Rocks had so many members by his side before the time they made a flag with their Jolly Roger.
Some of the earliest crew members that Rocks brought to his side include Shiki the Wicked (Lion), Miss Buckin the Tech Bandit (Stussy), Don Marlon, Edward Newgate (Whitebeard), Pirate Prophet Ochoku, and Ganzui. Together as a crew, they sailed to Elbaf, where their future captain, Rocks D. Xebec, wanted to recruit King Harald.
Ever since the introduction of Rocks D. Xebec, Oda has been giving special attention to the Rocks Pirates. The Rocks Pirates are shaping up to be the favorite pirate crew for many, and their unique origin story is drawing even more fans. That said, why do you think Oda decided to bring back the Davy Back tradition? Let us know in the comments below.
